A City for Everyone

POVERTY REDUCTION

Poverty is an issue at every level of government. The City’s primary role in reducing poverty is ensuring that there is an adequate supply of affordable housing [See Affordable Housing, Homelessness], and its secondary role is to ensure that the City has a working public transit system and other alternative forms of transportation [See Cycling, Public Transit, Real Neighbourhoods].

City Councillors should also remember that City services are paid for by property taxes, which are regressive and fall particularly heavily on the poor. In addition to restraining public spending, the City should consider whether it’s possible to mitigate the regressiveness of the property and water tax system.

Having grown up in a low-income household, and having two young children, child poverty is an issue I feel I have particular insight into. I would like lead a focus group on child-poverty reduction initiatives in the city.

Finally, it’s important to remember that poverty intersects with many other issues. Accessibility and poverty are related issues [See Accessibility]; so are mental health and poverty [See Mental Health] and inclusivity and poverty [See Inclusivity]. Improving one problem can help the others.